Freight News, Sea


Rotterdam traffic down but TEUs up

[ October 28, 2025   //   ]

Total throughput in the port of Rotterdam fell by 2.6% in the third quarter of 2025 compared to last year – 320.2 million tonnes, compared to 328.9 million tonnes in the first nine months of 2024. The decline was mainly due to lower throughput of iron ore and mineral oil products, while containers (in TEU), agribulk, crude oil and LNG all increased.

Containers increased by 3.0% to 10.7 million TEU but fell 0.6% in terms of tonnage, This was due to the imbalance between imports and exports, resulting in more empty containers being shipped.

Exports from Europe are still suffering from the pressure on European competitiveness, especially in the automotive industry and the chemical sector.

Total breakbulk throughput (Roll-on/Roll-off and other breakbulk) increased by 0.2% to 24.0 million tonnes. Ro ro throughput decreased by 0.1% and volumes to and from the UK have not yet recovered.

Other breakbulk rose 1.1% to 4.6 million tonnes. This increase was partly due to the delivery of monopiles (offshore wind foundations), steel pipes for the Porthos project, and an increase in the throughput of steel plates for the offshore industry.

Port authority chief executive, Boudewijn Siemons, said: “Although total throughput volumes showed a slight decline in the first nine months of this year, developments in areas such as container throughput and the throughput of renewable fuels confirm the resilience and strategic value of the port of Rotterdam. At the same time, European industry is still under enormous pressure, which underscores the need to continue investing jointly in innovation, sustainability, and logistical efficiency.”

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